Cecile Cassel

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Packed with extremely clever touches, this film demonstrates that brains simply aren't enough for the rom-com genre. No matter how inventive your structure is, you've still got to get the audience on your side.

Duncan (Patricks) is an awkward guy who, when we meet him, is about to commit suicide due to his disastrous last five relationships. So we travel into his mind to meet his girlfriends: Wendy (Adams), Olive (March), Rhona (Cassel), Natalie (Bukovics) and Gemma (Harris), who might finally be the one. But no, the path to true love isn't remotely simple.

This exquisitely made French drama traces the life of a family through five key days over 12 years. It's a joy to watch, with vibrant characters, inventive direction and an emotional resonance that's both provocative and deeply moving.

In 1988, Robert and Marie-Jeanne (Gamblin and Breitman) are coming to terms with the fact that their eldest son Albert (Marmai) is moving into his own flat as middle son Raph (Grondin) turns 18. Over the years we also revisit them as rebellious daughter Fleur (Francois) turns 16 and follow relationships with various boys and girls as well as Robert's wine-loving father (Dumas). The family bond is strained and tested, including at least one ongoing feud, and yet there's an irresistible, indefinable connection, and a sense that they are discovering life together.